The Price of Friendship
by HerMadnessMac
Summary: As the war draws to a close things begin to turn back to normal. However, Sakura soon realizes that retrieving and healing her old teammates is the easy part! How can she get the village to accept HIM, all while keeping her heart safe from her old flame?
1. Anxiety

**Hey guys! Welcome to my first Naruto fic. I'm a big SasuXSaku fan, so that's where this is heading. Although I love a good lemon like everyone else, I try to make sure my stories have at lease SOME plot to them. Agree? No? Ah, well. If you do, buckle up and please enjoy the ride :)**

**Disclaimer: ****I regret that I do not own the wonderful world that is Naruto. That ****privilege belongs to the amazing Masashi Kishimoto, obviously, because if I did own it, Sasuke would be part of Konoha again already! So, instead, I torture them here.**

* * *

Finding Naruto and Sasuke's body after the battle was probably the worst thing that had ever happened to her.

Sakura had heard the explosions, seen the force streaming away from the battle zone, but she hadn't been allowed to leave her post. Casualty after casualty poured into her tent until every cot had one shinobi, sometimes two. Then she was forced to leave and treat those in other unattended (they really needed to train some more medics) tents or simply lying on the floor.

By the time the roaring and quaking of her friends' battle zone had stopped, Sakura's chakra reserves were near depleted. Yet, she continued on, using every last drop of her chakra as she knew how. Her teammates would survive-they had to!- and her post was here.

Tsunade finally laid a hand on her exhausted apprentice's shoulder. She had watched Sakura stumble around from patient to patient for a while now, and it was getting painful. Her clothes were splattered in blood and grime and every step seemed to be a struggle to stay up.

"Sakura," Tsunade said gently, "You need to rest. I'll stand in for you."

To her surprise, Sakura nodded and walked dazedly off towards the resting area.

_She must be more exhausted than I guessed_, thought Tsunade. She had almost expected to have to drag her apprentice to the resting tents. Sakura was known for resisting rest time, and she often wouldn't stop healing until she had collapsed. The thought, however, was put out of Tsunade's mind as more casualties and medics called for her attention. Rolling up her sleeves, the Hokage set to work.

Tsunade had been right in thinking Sakura had given up too easily. In fact, sleep was the last thing she had in mind. Ever since the sounds of fighting had ceased, Sakura had become more and more desperate to leave camp and get to her friends. Now, with her sensei's unknowing consent, she was finally able to do so.

Once out of said sensei's view, Sakura sprinted to the tent filled with medical supplies. No one was around, so she didn't have to worry about being spotted. Any ninjas around were either delirious from blood loss or chakra depletion anyway. Safely inside the tent, Sakura began to quickly fill up one of the available satchels with all sorts of things: gauze, water, cloth for slings, a foldable splint, and two of every poison antidote she could find. She would not be forced to pick between Sasuke and Naruto because she didn't bring enough supplies.

To add to her growing list of problems, Sakura had no idea what condition her teammates were in, and with her chakra levels in such deplorable condition, she didn't know how much she would end up relying on older methods. She wasn't even holding any hope that Sasuke and Naruto would be unharmed. They had a tendency to give their alls to their fights-leaving rivulets of blood behind them. She might even need more supplies….

What Sakura really needed was help.

The problem was that every other medic was healing wounded shinobi. She wracked her brain for some one who would be available-one of the Kohona 12 would be best because they wouldn't hesitate to help both Naruto _and_ Sasuke. But who? Not many of her generation had received medical training. Sure the basics, but Naruto would be needing much more than that. Hinata would have been useful, but it was almost guaranteed that she had drained her chakra using her Byakugan. She had taken the battle personally with Naruto's life at stake, and had probably gotten less sleep the whole time than Sakura herself. _Maybe I could try Hinata anyway, _Sakura thought, grabbing a bottle or energy-raising-soldier-pills, _I know I wouldn't forgive anyone if they…._As she was shaking the though out of her head, it came to her.

Ino.

Ino was a long distance fighter. She should be mostly in one piece, and would hopefully have a decent reserve of chakra. Besides, Ino would throw herself at Sasuke before Sakura could open her mouth. There had been a time when Sakura would have severed all her major arteries and veins before she let that happen. Now, as long as Naruto and Sasuke came out alive, Sakura would even _encourage_ the pig to try and seduce her old flame.

She winced at the visual.

Well, maybe she would just turn a blind eye.

That decided, Sakura set off to gather her companions.

After dropping her two bags of medical supplies off a couple tents away-Ino or Hinata should be able to carry one- she set off towards the tent where she knew her friends were resting. Once in "sight" of the ninja guarding the resting tent Sakura began acting as bone-weary and dazed as she should be were she not running on adrenaline. She wandered like a zombie, shuffling with each step.

"Hey, Sakura," the guard called out, she thought his name was Lanto, "You know the drill, stay still for a sec."

"Hmmmm," Sakura hummed in response quirking her lips in a smile like she knew she did when she was tired.

She felt Lanto's chakra wash over her and waited for the examination to be over. It was pointless, really. After all, if she was Zetsu in disguise, Sakura's chakra would feel exactly like her own. Even with the war at its ending point, people needed to be careful. However, seeing as she was planning on sneaking out, she wasn't going to raise that point.

"By the way," Lanto began cheerfully, "thanks for healing my hand. I never really got the chance to say thank you with the craziness of the killer on the loose."

Sakura began to nod, then she frowned. She didn't heal Lanto's hand. That was…Sakura met Lanto's eyes and understood. _A test. Good. People aren't getting as sloppy as I thought they were._

"I didn't heal your hand," Sakura said instead, "That was Shizune."

"I know, I know. Just testing. You're clear," the chunin waved her in happily, "But you really do need to sleep, you know. You're running on fumes. There are other medics."

"Hn," Sakura grunted, hating herself for sounding so much like a certain Uchihia she had promised herself she would never speak of or to again. But it was such an effective method of ending a conversation!

Inside the tent was silent, but only a few people were sleeping. The sleeping ones were Shikamaru and Choji of course. Naara never had had problems and Choji used a massive amount of chakra in the fight. Shikimaru's sleep looked troubled though, and the way Ino was watching his flickering eyelids only confirmed that something had happened. Like Sakura, Ino was very protective of both her teammates. Thus, she was curled up in between them-awake. Good.

Neji and Tenten were both in the infirmary courtesy of over-exhaustion and a cursed fan. Kiba and Lee were both awake, but neither had glanced at her. Shino was the only one who had looked at her, and he was standing protectively over the distraught Hyuuga heiress. _Damn. _It was going to be impossible to get her out without him knowing. Sakura weighed her options, one of them being to leave Hinata behind.

_Not possible, I need her with me_. Who knew what kind of position they would find Naruto and Sasuke in. No, she would just have to tell Shino. Besides, it would be good for some one at camp to be able to cover for them. Tsunade-sama would understand eventually, probably immediately actually, but she would be furious that Sakura had both put herself in danger and tricked her.

Sakura walked over and slumped next to Hinata. As suspected, the girl was almost devoid of any chakra at all. Subtly, she offered her three soldier pills. Hinata looked at her in a confused manner, but something like understanding flashed in her face, and she took them. Sakura spoke softly, knowing both Ino and Shino were listening.

"I'm going to go get Naruto," she said. Hinata's head jerked up, as if she could hardly believe it. Belatedly Sakura added, "And …him, but I'm going to need your help."

Shino turned his attention to Sakura as she continued on, "We're going to need someone to cover for us, and you might be able to help us, Shino."

Seemingly unamused, the boy raised an eyebrow. He looked so much like her dad, Kakashi, Tsunade, and every other parental figure in her life that Sakura wavered, feeling a small rush of guilt. She was trying to take Hinata on a mission that could get her killed. All of them killed. Transformed back into her genin self under Shino's disapproving glare, Sakura almost backed down. Then Hinata caught her gaze. Determined.

Without warning Sakura was assaulted with memories splattered in blood. Every enemy she had killed, those she had tortured, men she had saved, and those she had failed to cam rushing back. Sakura remembered training until she shattered bones, and puncturing vital organs in a fight. She knew the fear of being incognito, the exhilaration of winning a fight, terror of a melee, and the pain of losing one you loved. Sakura wasn't a scared little genin anymore, she wasn't useless, and she wasn't backing down. By the look in her eyes, neither was Hinata.

"Don't act like you know better, Shino," she spat venomously and quietly, "We know what we're getting into. We have comrades out their—your comrades—and I need help saving them. Naruto's saved our lives multiple times and now he needs us. I'm not even asking you to come with us. All I'm asking is for you to cover for us back here. That too much? Are your friends not worth that _trouble_?"

Sakura could swear she saw his eyes flash behind the sun-glasses.

"We all know the dangers of war, Sakura," he began, "It's not worth the lives of two more shinobi for a wasted…"

"I love him, Shino."

Shino and Sakura froze. Blindsided by Hinata's confession, Shino let whatever he was going to say drop into the air with a long-suffering sigh.

"Please," Hinata whispered, "I'm going either way, but please help us."

Shino still looked unsure, a little unwilling to send his sister-figure into the dangers of a war zone, and Sakura pressed her advantage.

"You can send some of your bugs with us," she said, "and at least you'll know exactly where we are. When Tsunade starts freaking, you can at least give her out exact location. And you'll know the moment we get into trouble."

Shino looked over at Hinata who was staring at him with a sort of wild desperation. If Shino disagreed, the mission was over, and Naruto would have to wait even longer for medical help they both knew he desperately needed. Sakura knew how she felt. Hinata needed to get to Naruto like she needed to get to…

_Stop it, _Sakura thought, _You are NOT in love with him. He's a traitor who thinks you're a burden. But he's your teammate, and you need to help your teammates. __**Both**__ of them._

Shino was nodding. He always did have a soft spot for his sweet, shy teammate.

Soon, a third voice had joined their group.

"I'm coming too," Ino said. She had untangled herself from Shikamaru and Choji and was now standing by the group, "I have medical skills, and more chakra than the both of you combined. Or were planning on killing yourselves in the process if saving them, Forehead?"

Silently, Sakura raised the vile with the soldier pills.

"I got it covered, Pig."

"Let's go," Hinata interrupted, almost too loudly.

Sakura downed three of the pills she had just held up and passed three to Ino. As she was chewing, Shino waved his hand over the three girls. Grimacing, Sakura swallowed. As helpful as it was, knowing you were covered in chakra infused bugs was…disgusting. Ino's scowl supported the idea that she shared the same opinion.

Only Hinata was unfazed, "The guard…?"

"On it," replied Ino, ready to perform her mind transfer technique, "You got my body?"

Sakura smiled in a way that could only mean, _of course_, before slinging an arm around her best friends' waist.

Ino's body slumped. Then, Lanto opened the tent's flap and nodded.

It was time to go.

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**Love me? Hate me? Have ideas? Wish I would never write again? Drop me a comment.**


	2. Guilt

**Here we go guys, the second chapter. What will happen? Who knows! **

**Not even me really… o.0 They just explode out of the keyboard sometimes. Hope you enjoy this long chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I regret that I do not own the wonderful world that is Naruto. That privilege belongs to the amazing Masashi Kishimoto, obviously, because if I did own it, Sasuke would be part of Konoha again already! So, instead, I torture them here.**

* * *

Hinata was the first out the door. It shouldn't have surprised her, really. Sakura knew that the Hyuga Heiress had been one big coiled mess of anxiety since the moment she mentioned saving Naruto. Really. It had been rolling off of her in a mess of jagged chakra spikes that starkly contrasted her usual calm waves. Yet it still surprised Sakura when Hinata was out the door flap before she could shift Ino into a better carrying position. In the process of doing just that, Sakura nearly dropped her old friend/enemy when an unexpected voice interrupted her.

"Carry on my young blossom! And may the rays from the eternal sun of youth brighten your path!" Lee called while in an action figure pose, his large eyes shining with unshed tears.

The little weirdo was awake? Listening to everything she had said? Huh. Sakura loved Lee like an annoying little brother, and even respected him as a shinobi sometimes, but she had never known Lee for, well, living in the real world—ya know, mentally. So if Lee had understood her exchange with Shino…

"I'm not his teammate, but I think what that means is 'good luck,'" Shikamaru muttered, his eyes still closed. However, he cracked one eye open for his next comment, "We've got your back here. It might take a while, but we'll form a secondary team to back you up."

Had anyone actually been asleep? She needed to be more aware of her surroundings. Tsunade would kill her if she found out Sakura had misjudged two shinobis' attention.

"Remember," Shikamaru drew her attention back with his solemn tone, "You may be stronger now, but there are stronger enemies out there, and you can't take 'em all out. Be discreet. Avoid confrontation. Get to our teammates quickly and with as much chakra as possible. You're no me, but you have a decent head on you, Sakura. Use it."

"Stop talking her ear off," Kiba growled before jerking his head at Sakura, "Get your ass outta here. And take care of Hinata while you're at it."

Sakura smiled saucily, gave a mock salute, twisted Ino's body up and over her shoulder, and headed out the door. She had no idea what she was up against out there, but it hardly seemed to matter when she had friends like that behind her.

* * *

It was pitifully easy to sneak out of camp. Once the girls had reached Sakura's supply bags, Ino released Lanto and returned to her own body.

Hinata worried that Lanto would remember that Ino had taken him over, but Ino assured her that her family technique had advanced far since their genin days. Now, she said, enemies woke up from being possessed with no recollection of what happened.

_Scary idea_, Sakura had shivered, _to think that Ino could make some one slaughter their whole team and then have wake up with no memory of it. Like they'd done something terrible sleepwalking._

Just one of the many terrible things ninja were capable of. Sakura refused to let her mind linger on that thought. Ninjas capable of those exact terrible things could be waiting for them in the battlefield. Instead, she forced herself to stay positive:

_Good thing Ino was on their side._

Loaded up with supplies and weapons, the trio proceeded out of camp without much trouble. No one questioned their presence—everyone knew that was Tsunade's apprentice!—and they were soon out of the sight of camp without making anyone as much as bat an eyelash.

With any luck, no one save the boys would know they were gone. They did, after all, use their training to avoid the sentries. They weren't going to rely on pure luck with so important a mission.

It was as the girls were flying through the forest that Hinata called the group to a halt. Since questioning the girl's superior eyesight would probably cost them in blood, Ino and Sakura quickly and silently landed on separate tree branches before scurrying to the safety provided in the shadows close to the trunk.

Hinata perched a couple feet above. From her vantage point she squinted into the depth of the forest. Sakura what just about the ask what the hell was going on, when Hinata spoke.

"There's a kunoichi partnered with an animal up ahead. Large," she reported while the veins buldged on the side of her head from the intensity of her concentration, "and another ninja. But I can't tell…anything about him. Her?"

"Okay. Any chance we can get past them?" Sakura asked. Shikamaru's advice weighed heavily on her mind.

Sadly, her hopes for going undetected were shattered with the shake of Hinata's head.

"No way. The animal partner is large, so probably mammalian, and mammals have intense olfactory senses. They might even be able to sense us now. Plus, even if it isn't a mammal with superior smell, it could have superior sight, or track movement, or sense temperature…," she trailed off.

"Ninjas pick animals as partners because of one of their heightened senses. And comradery," Ino added, "We've picked up a few things from Kiba. How does he react whenever Akamaru is hurt? Go for the 'pet.' Offense. We don't have time for defense."

Both girls looked to Sakura for her decision. _They had just been offering advice_, she realized, _I organized the rescue, so I make the calls. _Aware that time was short, but reluctant to make a costly judgment error, Sakura held up one finger for time as she ran through her options. Finally, she sighed.

_And we wanted to _avoid_ physical throw-downs._

"Okay. Hinata and I will take out the animal kunoichi. I have blunt strength, and Hinata's skilled in taijutsu. The gentle fist should help. Plus, I hear you've been working on the Sixty-Four Palms, even if it's not your specialty," she paused to make sure Hinata understood. She nodded and Sakura went on, "But there's another unknown. Stick to the trees, scope him out, and watch our backs Ino."

Hinata and Ino nodded once. They understood that they had to beat these guys—and fast.

_We might need more chakra for the fight_, Sakura frowned, _Maybe they should take another soldier pill…_

As she was pulling out the container, Sakura had to laugh prompting two very confused expressions. Smothering her laughter she explained, "This goes against everything I've ever told ninjas, but we should take another soldier pill. At the rate we're going, we might overdose, but we can't take chances on this battlefield."

Ino scowled before pocketing her pill. When sky blue eyes met emerald green, Ino just shrugged. Sakura could read her thoughts loud and clear though: _I had more chakra to begin with. I'll be okay. _

Hinata took her pill without a second glance.

"Naruto needs us. If we die on the way there, we fail. If we overdose on pills, we fail. If we get there and are chakra-deficient, we fail," Hinata explained as she chewed, "We just can't fail. It's not an option."

Nice to have the odds stacked against them.

"Okay," Sakura said as pulled on her gloves, "Let's go."

They flew through the trees like the Kohona kunoichi they were: silent, graceful, accurate, and deadly. Sakura had just made out the outline of the white-haired animal kunoichi when a low growl sounded.

_Tiger_, she decided, _Now let's just hope it doesn't have a battle form like Akamaru!_

Instead of staying back and gathering more data, Sakura launched herself into the clearing with a roar to match the tiger's.

In the forest, the kunoichi and her partner were blocked by the many trees. Now, in the open, Sakura had a few milliseconds to observe her enemy's striking appearance. The kunoichi's companion was a white Bengal Tiger. Well, it had to be a Bengal, because Siberian tigers didn't have white offspring—it'd never been reported!

_Something to do with removing the recessive color allele though extensive breeding, _Sakura mused before a thought struck,_ Maybe it isn't a full Siberian. Breeding with a Bengal would allow it too…Argh! No time to think genetics!_

Other than the coloring, everything about the tiger screamed Siberian- the large size, short legs coupled with a long, muscled body, long tail… Yet, even though Siberian tigers were the largest of their kind, this tiger's every characteristic dwarfed its relatives. Two inch carnassial teeth, four foot tail, and instead of the normal five feet, its height matched her human partner at around 5'5". Sakura didn't even want to think about how much it weighed. Probably a lot more than the normal 300 pound female.

Speaking of partners, the kunoichi shared many characteristics with her tiger. She, too, was taller and huskier than most females—though not fat. Her density came in the form of rippling muscles, a stark contrast to the average toned kunoichi. It's not to say she wasn't pretty; her height allowed her strong frame to seem more natural. Like her companion, the kunoichi's mane was a brilliant white, long and flowing. The black stripes on her forehead and cheeks only drew attention to their last shared attribute, shockingly purple cat eyes.

The kunoichi's unnatural eyes immediately fixed on Sakura as she left the shelter of the forest, but she dropped eye contact quickly in order to dodge Sakura's barrage of shuriken. After a couple nimble spins that resembled pirouettes, she flipped onto her animal counterpart's back. As she landed, the tiger leapt towards a tree and used the momentum of the jump to bounce right back at Sakura.

The shuriken had bought her time to think, and so Sakura didn't hesitate before she stomped once and launched a large chunk of earth upwards like a pillar—perfect chakra control came in handy sometimes—before projected the top off the block at the incoming duo with deadly accuracy. As she had noted from her shuriken attack, the kunoichi moved faster on her own, and was forced abandon her perch on the tiger to avoid being crushed. She escaped unscathed, but her tiger took one shard to the back and howled angrily. It was lucky that Sakura had aimed at its rider.

"Kamiko!" The girl called before she snarled at Sakura angrily, exposing shockingly long teeth. However decidedly angry the girl was, she seemed to still be thinking clearly. As if to prove the point, she signaled Kamiko to go right while she bounded to the left, obviously planning to sandwich Sakura in between them.

Sakura desperately formed a couple hand signs, glancing at each of her approaching opponents. The kunoichi laughed. In her mind, there was no where the pinkette could go. They were close enough now that no matter where the girl moved, she or Kamiko would catch this weak enemy. She had just reached springing distance when Sakura finished her hand signs, and burst into a whirlwind of cherry blossom petals.

"What!" she shrieked as she sprang out of the winds' grasp. As the petals settled, the kunoichi searched for any sign of her green-eyed enemy. Nothing.

Safe in the shelter of the bushes, Sakura watched curiously as the girl opened her mouth into what looked like a mix between a large grin and yawn. Then she watched Kamiko do the same, breathing in deeply.

_They're trying to scent me! _She realized, _Good thing the Flower Petal Escape dulls the nose too. All they should be able to smell is cherry blossoms._

However, Sakura's internal celebration was cut off as the kunoichi stopped scenting and smiled—looking straight at Sakura.

_Damn, she can still smell me!_ Sakura cursed as she exploded from her hiding place and launched herself into the trees above both the tigress and her partner.

"You almost had me there, you know," the tiger-Kunoichi taunted, "You smell like cherry blossoms, too, with only the slightest hint of mint."

_My healing balms_, Sakura thought, still dodging attacks as she tried to think of a plan.

"But do you know what really gave you away?" the girl prattled on, "Your fear. Great Kami, I don't even know how you became a ninja with a weak will like yours."

It was obvious the kunoichi's words had struck home. Sakura stumbled on a tree, and as a result her jump was slower than normal. Purple eyes closed in as the kunoichi pounced and cornered Sakura against the trunk of a tree. She avoided a kunai in the gut only to run into a slashing motion on her right. Unthinkingly, Sakura blocked with her tensed fist and kicked out, forcing the laughing girl away.

"Geez, what a scaredy-cat!" she mocked, daintily licking the blood from Sakura's hand off her nails, "What are you doing out here in the field? It's plain to see you don't belong here."

The girl just stood on the branch and watched as Sakura's eyes narrowed in disgust before she sped off into the trees again—narrowly being avoided by Kamiko's snapping jaws. After another maniac cackle, the girl followed pursuit once more.

"You're a danger to everyone around you! How many teammates has your weakness killed?"

Sakura choked. No one had died to save her, yet, but it had been close. How many of her friends had been injured coming to her aid? Faces flashed through her mind: Naruto, Lee, Ino, Shikamaru, Kakashi…Sasuke.

_Am I really, still, so weak? I've trained so hard! Was it pointless…?_

Everyone seemed to surpass her. She had been the last of the Kohona 12 to go solo on an A ranked mission. Fifth to last chunin of the group. Nearly highest injury rate during missions. Always told to stay out of the way. No signature move to call hers.

A flash of white to her left. Sakura aimed a kunai and was rewarded with a high-pitched squeal of pain and the sound of breaking branches as the kunoichi ran into trees because the kunai, and the pain it brought, surprised her.

_But I've grown so much! I can't be useless!_ She had been tired of staying behind the second she had seen Naruto so beat up in the hospital. She had sworn to work harder, and she had. Because of it, she'd become a formidable medic nin, genjutsu user, and helped defeat Sasori of the Red Sand. Her friends, teachers, and even enemies— if her place in the Bingo book was any evidence— had come to respect her skills.

Sakura shook her head disgustedly. She had a mission to accomplish, friends to save, enemies to kill, and here she was letting hurtful words hurt her as though she was a genin again.

In the tangle of the limbs in the forest, the pair drew closer. The girl landed on the branch in front of Sakura, before launching directly at her. However, Sakura wasn't a Kohona kunoichi for nothing, and she reacted to the girl much like she would to an unexpected branch. She drew her legs up to her chest and slammed her legs down on the girls' head like it was a spring board. While the kunoichi crashed though the trees, Sakura sprang out into the open. She was done running. It was just wasting time.

With a roar, Sakura's enemies broke into the clearing, the girl once again seated on Kamiko's back.

It was at that moment Hinata decided to make her appearance.

In a purple blur Hinata shot out from the undergrowth and forcibly removed the girl from her perch on her companion's back with a swift kick to the head. The girl tumbled twenty feet before skidding to a stop.

Surprised, and angered by this new enemy, Kamiko broke off her attack on Sakura and spun to face Hinata. Luckily for her, Hinata had already begun to approach the fallen kunoichi, and Kamiko's claws closed on air. The Hyuga heiress didn't even spare a backward glance as she charged after her fallen target. Her thoughts were a blur of a blonde haired shinobi in a shockingly bright orange jumpsuit: Naruto. Once she had eliminated this threat, they would be one step closer to saving Naruto.

* * *

As it turned out, Hinata was right not to worry about the tiger out for her blood.

Before Kamiko could launch another attack on Hinata, Sakura used a large tree she'd ripped from the ground as a baseball-bat and knocked Kamiko a good sixty feet in the opposite direction of her master. Hinata had the kunoichi in hand; it was up to Sakura to take out her pet. She picked up a boulder and threw it at the injured tiger, which managed to avoid most of the damage, but still took a pretty good hit to her hind leg.

Sakura felt sick as she slammed Kamiko to ground with a fist to the face, but this had taken long enough already, and, from the crashing in the forest, it sounded like Ino was fighting too. She drew back her fist in preparation to smack it into the base of Kamiko's spine. Time to end the big cat once and for all.

* * *

The tiger kunoichi had just finished the act of slowly bringing herself to her feet, probably dealing with a concussion, when Hinata reached her in a flurry of strikes. Had she been thinking clearly, the kunoichi might have been a match for Hinata, but Sakura wasn't the only one who had been training.

Although not at Neji's level, Hinata had become respected in her own right as a ninja. Gone was the stammering main branch heiress; in her place stood a ninja worthy of the fear the name "Hyuga" should instill in battle.

As it was, the kunoichi had only managed to block a few of Hinata's Gentle Fist strikes.

The desperate kunoichi utilized her feline grace to flip out of Hinata's range and managed to complete a couple hand signs in the air. However, as soon as her wobbling feet touched the ground, the kunoichi sank to her knees and began to cough up blood.

"What, what did you do?" she sputtered, "You barely touched me!"

"I inserted my chakra into your chakra pathways. Because pathways wrap so closely around your internal organs, I've ruptured quite a few of yours," Hinata answered as she calmy walked forward, a sad look on her face, "and as for 'barely touching' you…"

There was a loud crack in the distance, and the girl looked over to see Kamiko shudder one last time before she stopped moving entirely. The kunoichi tried to choke back tears and ended up breaking out into another round of coughs as she struggled to her feet.

"Well, it isn't called the 'Gentle Fist' for nothing," she finished, standing directly in front of her opponent, "What's your name?"

"Hitomi," the girl spat, her blood staining her snow-white hair, "Nzukan Hitomi. I was once Hitomi of the Cloud. Now, I'm a recruit for the Akatsuki."

"Hitomi—meaning 'pupil of the eye.' You really do have beautiful eyes, you know," Hinata remarked quietly as the girl looked away from her companion's broken form, "I'm Hyuga Hinata, and I'm afraid, since you joined forces with the people who tried to hurt Naruto, and still stand in my way, it's time for your beautiful eyes to close."

Hitomi's eyes barely had a chance to widen before Hinata reached up and gently tapped her temple—rupturing every chakra path surrounding her brain. Blood began to well like tears in Hitomi's eyes before she closed them and sank to the ground. Dead.

Hinata turned and jumped to Sakura's side. Clear eyes met green, remorse showing in both of them. Killing was never easy. No matter how many times it happened.

"For Naruto," Hinata reminded her before adding gently, "and Sasuke."

Sakura's body jerked and she had to look away from Hinata's knowing eyes before she could nod. She had killed before, and killed often. Because of her medical skills, Sakura was the perfect option when an assassination needed to look like a natural death. Watching the life fade from another person hardly bothered her anymore, but killing animals was different.

_They're innocent_, she thought bitterly, _like children doing what their parents tell them to. And I beat Kamiko into a pulp._

Sakura took a deep breath; she didn't have time for this. Hinata was right, Naruto-and Sasuke-needed her to be strong for them. She came on the mission knowing what she would have to do, and after her conversation with Hitomi, she would never doubt herself, or her mission, again.

The two kunoichi had about a second to regain themselves and prepare to go on before a terrified and pain-filled scream from Ino split the clearing.

* * *

**So, I honestly need some opinions here people. Am I keeping them in character? Dragging out the fight scenes? Too many superfluous details? My brother didn't like how detailed I got when Sakura first saw Kamiko. Also, do you get the chapter names and how they fit in with the story? Review if you do!****So! Later guys.**

**And give the little button down there some love. It's lonely.**


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